So this new farrier is coming out on Friday. All his clients, on the OregonHF I'm a part of, say he's fantastic...but so do all the clients of my last trimmer.....and we know how well that worked out.

In my previous thread, Horseman suggested not mentioning anything about her hoof "issues" until he asks/notices, I think?
He does know she's been "ouchy" (mentioned it in my quest for a good farrier on the OHF which is what he responded to) but not on what or anything more than that.

What should I tell him, what information do I hold back? I've never had to find a new farrier before so I'm basically 100% out of my depth.

I think it would be reasonable to let him know the basics about her - she's 27, nearly blind, etc...right?

I am mildly concerned because he only charges $30 for trims and is driving over 100 miles, with no trip fee (I'm planning on tipping him since he did come so far, but $5? $10? $5 would be the most manageable for me but I don't want to be a jerk...), just for me and one other client... But he could just genuinely be a nice guy and all his clients say he's great... We shall see I guess.

Thanks! :)

Also, for those of you who might be wondering about my previous trimmer, she did not offer to refund the $35 credit she has on my account when I told her that I thought it was time to give someone else a try with Lacey's hooves (in a very nice way too!) and she told me to "let her know how it goes".... Hrmmm. Oh well, lessons learned.

I'd answer any questions he has about basic background info (i.e. the symptoms you see), but not offer any diagnoses made by the previous trimmer. Once he looks at the feet, ask him for an assessment of what he sees wrong, what changes he'd like to make, how long he expects before you see improvement and how long until he would expect it to take before they reach a "steady state" where he wants them.

$30 seems awfully cheap to drive so far for just two horses, unless he has more clients in the area that are scheduled on the same day. If he does do a good job and you want to keep him around, I'd certainly tip, but I couldn't tell you how much as I've never tipped my farrier... I generally prefer that the farrier charge enough to cover his costs and labor without my having to think about how much extra to give him!

I agree about the price! Who knows. Maybe more light will be shed on that tomorrow when he comes. I did ask about his pricing scheme and it seems like maybe he does a lot of shoeing business and that's where his money comes from? His price for front shoes was $60, $90 for fronts and pads, etc. We shall see!

Would it be out of line/not helpful for me to point out areas of concern on her feet and ask him about them?
There are a few things, like how there's a little separation (I think?) between her hoof wall and sole that the previous trimmer never addressed and how she has some flaring in the from that I would like to see addressed but I don't want to jump the gun and not let the farrier do his job...

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